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Book Reviews

Book Review: Summer at Hope Haven

Summer at Hope Haven book cover in the sand

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Small town sweet romances set at the beach are my favorite, so I was excited to grab Summer at Hope Haven on NetGalley early.

Our heroine Emily has had it rough the past year. She lost her parents and brother in a terrible accident, and then her fiance left her. Needing a change in scenery, she heads to Hope Haven on Dune Island to her grandmother’s beach house she’s inherited. She hasn’t spent a summer here since she was a kid, and she’s anxious to travel somewhere no one knows what she’s been through, with the exception of her childhood friend Wilson and his wife who live next door.

Seeing Wilson, who was her brother’s best friend and became like family over the years, is bittersweet. He’s her only real connection to her family left, but he seems uneasy with her visit even though he’s the one who invited her.

An artist who has lost her inspiration, she agreed to take on a mural project for the new pediatric wing at the local hospital where Wilson is a doctor as a sort of tribute to her family, who had all dedicated their lives to helping others. She’s distracted by more than just her memories and Wilson’s moodiness though. There’s also the cute surfer she ran into outside her house on the first day who turns out to be Dr. Luke, as the kids call him, a pediatrician at the hospital loved by…well, everyone it seems.

As she fights her attraction for Luke — who seems to already be dating another doctor — she also finds herself fighting with Wilson, who thinks he’s uncovered a family secret. And then there’s the notes she found from her father to her mother that she can’t quite square with Wilson’s story. She struggles to make sense of this new information that’s in stark contrast to the parents she knew.

I loved how this book explored both her romantic relationship with Luke and also her relationship with her childhood friend Wilson. Ultimately, it’s a tale of the resiliency of the human mind and heart, even in the face of innumerable heartaches.

I read this in one day! I definitely recommend Summer at Hope Haven, and I can’t wait for the second book in the Dune Island series so I can head back to this sweet island community.

Love small town romances? Find more here.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

XOXO
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beach readKristin Harperseriessmall town romance
Book Review: Summer at Hope Haven

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I write small town romance novels set in beachy locations. Stick an umbrella in your drink and go on a mental vacation with me!

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When you write a book set at the beach, you revers When you write a book set at the beach, you reverse outline by the beach/pool for inspiration. 🌴
#FridayKiss: candy

This is from my MS with:
👩‍❤️‍👨Enemies to lovers
🏖️Small beach town
💌You've Got Mail vibes
📚The cutest Little Free Library
The hubby @seegreatart and I took a road trip to F The hubby @seegreatart and I took a road trip to Fort Pierce, FL this weekend to see the latest Florida Highwaymen exhibition at @aebackusmuseum. 🎨 

My hubby has written extensively on the Florida Highwaymen, and we are lucky to get to see so much of their work here in Florida. This group of more than two dozen African American painters captured the Florida landscape in bright, vivid colors from the 1950s on. They could often be found selling the paintings out of the trunks of their cars. 

You used to be able to nab these paintings in garage sales around the state from people who didn't know what they had. However, those days are long gone. Now, these paintings can go for tens of thousands.

One of the original Highwaymen, Roy “R.A.” McLendon, was in attendance last evening. How work hangs in the Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture.

Have you ever seen these paintings around FL?
#FridayKiss from the MS I #amquerying, SUMMER BY T #FridayKiss from the MS I #amquerying, SUMMER BY THE BOOK:

The woman blushed and seemed embarrassed that Lucy had caught her looking through the shelf. "Do you have Hydrangeas on Hill Street?"

"I do." Lucy nodded, moving to the left of the woman and plucking the title off the shelf. "I read it when it first came in. It's a lovely book."

"I feel a little silly." The woman opened the book and turned it so Lucy could see the author photograph on the back flap. "It's my first book. I still get a little thrill every time I find it in a bookstore." Her cheeks still flushed pink, her eyes not meeting Lucy's.
Cheers to 2022 🥂 In fiction writing accomplish Cheers to 2022 🥂

In fiction writing accomplishments this year:

💋 I landed the incredible @authorjessicalepe as my #KissPitch mentor

💻 I edited my Little Free Library romance 

📨 I started querying my Little Free Library romance 

🎉 I got 10 full requests so far 

⌨️ I started editing my country music romance

✍️ I started outlining a new story 

Considering how busy I've been as @sportsbizmiss this year, that seems like a lot! Excited to see what 2023 brings. I really feel in my gut like it's the year I'll get a book deal for my romance! 🤞 Just putting that out into the universe!
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